blog to come out of the “colon closet” and share her story in hope that it would not only
be therapeutic for her, but also help other young parents suffering from IBD.
The response was more than what she expected. The Crazy Creole Mommy Chronicles’
mission changed over night. With the overwhelming amount of emails of gratitude,
love, support and questions, Brooke found that this platform was a perfect source of
information, support, tools and humor for parents facing physical challenges. The Crazy
Creole Mommy Chronicles is a personal account of a mommy with an active normal
preschooler, who sometimes can’t bend her fingers, and with a fake colon who finds a
way to laugh at it all.
Brooke’s life has completely changed since her
diagnosis. “My life is completely different than before.
I worked in film and was on set from 12-15 hrs per day
on any given day. I was very active and travelled often.
UC changed my life more than becoming a mother has.
It also put a strain on my relationship with my son’s
father. So now I am a single mother who blogs from
home. A long way from a production coordinator with a
two income household.”
She is fortunate enough to have an excellent support
system, and shares her love for her writing: her mother,
cousin and son. “My writing allows me to release and
feel like I have some control. My cousin has Crohn’s so
she gets it. My mother is the only person who has really tried to understand just what it
is I am going through and my son gives me a reason to fight through it.”
Brooke’s blog not only helps others understand the nature of having IBD and being a
mother, but it is a therapeutic method for her. “My blog is told as in time live journey. I
try to make living with IBD as normal as possible. So I talk about living an active life as
a mom with a jpouch and/or IBD with tips and personal stories, I also do giveaways and
just random stories. Basically, I’m trying to show that IBD is a part of my life, it isn’t my
whole life.”
Brooke didn’t let her flares rule her life, she stuck to a strict diet and had help from some
of her favorite flare free foods. “My favorite foods to eat while in a flare are So Delicious
Coconut Milk Mint Chip Ice Cream, Happy Family Pouches and Mashed Potatoes with
Cauliflower mashed in.”
During her struggle with ulcerative colitis, Brooke tried numerous medications to calm her
symptoms, including Prednisone, Colozol, Ascasol, Antibiotics, and Vicodin.
Though she ended up losing her colon, Brooke didn’t let that bring her down. Her vibrant
personality and sense of humour shine bright through her writing, blog and favorite
saying that helps keep her face in a smile: “Let’s Get Er Done!”.
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